On being my dog’s guardian #GrainFreeForMe

04•18•16

With his 13th birthday on the horizon, Emmett’s facing a handful of age-related problems like arthritis and loss of muscle mass. We’ve been working with him on a series of measures to prevent injuries. For instance, we put a set of pet steps at the foot of the bed to help him climb up and down (he’s still working on learning those), and we got a ramp for the back of the car (he’s still working on learning that). The second we let our guard down, though, he attempts to jump. Yesterday, on our way to visit my parents, he tried to jump in the car… but only made it halfway. He spent the rest of the evening tired and sore.

Emmett makes bad decisions. Repeatedly. After his crash yesterday, he still tried to jump back in the car a couple hours later.

The truth is, I am Emmett’s guardian, a wonderful job that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Emmett is my light. But, man, does he make bad decisions.

Like with what he chooses to put in his mouth.

This post is sponsored by Wellness Natural Pet Food and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share the reinvented Complete Health Line and other Wellness Products, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Wellness Natural Pet Food is not responsible for the content of this article.

Emmett would eat anything. In fact, he’s tried. I can’t list it all here, but his culinary indiscretions include everything from a pile of compost to a Christmas wreath. He would (and tries to…) eat anything. It’s up to me to pick the healthiest food possible for my guy. Now that he’s an elderly pup with a mix of age-related illnesses–and, not to mention, cancer–it’s even more important for me to find the best food for my guy. So, I was excited when we were given the opportunity to do a 3-month food trial of the new, reinvented Wellness® Complete Health™.

As Emmett’s guardian, here’s what I like: This food is all about the right balance of protein, carbs, and fat. It’s super important, in my opinion, that senior dogs hit on that right balance because they’re already facing a number of challenges. For example, Emmett gets his belly shaved quarterly for his ultrasounds at Purdue, and as he’s gotten older, it’s been tougher for that fur to grow back, so his skin is exposed. The Complete Health grain-free food has guaranteed levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids from ingredients such as flaxseed, which helps his dry spots. Plus, foods that are too rich can cause GI issues among aging pups with sensitive stomachs. This one is protein-rich without being too rich.

That’s what I like. What does Emmett like? Well, he’s not exactly one for a palatability test (note the aforementioned pile of compost), but I chose for him the Complete Health Grain Free Adult Whitefish & Menhaden Fish Meal recipe. He loves it. He inhales it, actually, which is why you can see he eats from a slow feeder.

And, though it’s an entirely different conversation for a different day, our other judge of kibble flavor is… well… Newt. If she tries to steal their kibble, it must be a tasty one. With this, she was even trying to get in the cabinet where we keep the bag, silly cat!

Anyway, we’re a couple weeks into the start of the food trial. I’ll report back on how Em’s doing with it in May and June.

Have you tried any Wellness foods? Do you have questions about the reinvented, grain-free line? What would you like to know for parts two and three of our trial? Any questions we can answer or experiences we can share?

And, I’m wondering: Do YOU consider yourself your dog’s guardian?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wellness. The opinions and text are all mine.

Thank you for the kind words, Valerie! What I’m learning about arthritis is that it’s worse on me than it is on him! 🙂 Honestly, he continues to try to do everything the same way he’s always done it… hiking, jumping into the car, jumping off the bed, etc… so I’ve had to really step up and step in, which is difficult. He HATES being lifted up and down. We did get him on a pain med (Tramadol) for bad days, but otherwise, it hasn’t affected him as much as it has me! HA!

D’Art makes a lot of similar bad decisions, most notably eating tissues. We’re pretty good at making sure tissues go straight into the trash, but he still seems to have a sixth sense to scout them out! In the last few months he’s stopped being able to jump up on the bed, so I was playing with the idea of steps as well. He still tries though, which I suppose is his way of telling me he wants up. Which stairs did you go with? Meanwhile, I just give him (73lbs) a boost. Who needs the gym! I hope that new food proves beneficial to Emmett!

Oh, my goodness. Cooper LOVES tissues. He goes into the bathroom and checks the trashcan every day. We’ve had to swap out all our cans for ones with lids. Goofy boy. 🙂

The stairs we bought are the PetMate plastic ones. In hindsight, the step part is too narrow. I mean, he could do it… but he isn’t sure of his footing. I think if we had something wider, he might do better. We’re thinking of building something this spring…

My only experience with the Wellness brand was not a good one in the end. It was back when “grain free” was first gaining popularity, and Callie was still healthy and happy. She, too, had a totally non-discriminating palate. Shadow, thankfully, was a bit more discriminating.

Anyway, the last few bags of Core that I purchased went back to the store, all for the same reason: a moldy smell emanating from the inside of the bag once I opened it. To be fair, the customer service folks at WellPet were very apologetic, and sent me plenty of coupons to make up for the inconvenience. One time, okay. I can understand stuff happens. Even twice. But strike three was the straw breaker. I returned the 3rd bag to PetSmart and demanded an immediate refund. (Instead I got a gift card credited with the full purchase price.) I wasn’t going to buy any more WellPet foods or treats so I didn’t need any more coupons. And I was tired of having to take pictures of the date stamp and lot numbers. To this day I refuse to purchase any WellPet products. (Especially at PetSmart, but that’s a whole other story.)

I love Wellness for my foster dog, Lele! But she gets CORE (the wild game, no potato, allergy-friendly one). I soak it and mash it up (since she’s tooth-challenged). Anyway, my point is, I caught MY 16-y-o picky eater kitty with her head in Lele’s bowl, scarfing down the gruel, the other morning. ? So, yeah. I’m corroborating your story about how the stuff MUST taste great! Go, Newt! (OK, no. Eat your own food, Newt.) Emmett is such a doll!

Love this post! Emmett sounds just like my pup! He will eat anything (including a four inch rope toy that had to be surgically removed). Where do I get that food bowl? My dog literally inhales his food and chokes on it on a regular basis! Anything to slow him down would be great!

This blue slow-feeder bowl I got in probably 2007, most likely from PetSmart. I know they have lots of similar styles there. We also just got him a different shaped one from Target (it was only like $8!). Good luck! I know food gulping is so hard.

I’ve heard that, too! For how fast Emmett gulps down food and how much he loved tennis balls in his younger days, it always made me nervous. I know it works for some people, though! I’ve also heard sprinkling it in the cups of a muffin pan!

We put steps up to our bed when Kobi got older as well. Now they all use them, and I think it’s better for all of them not to have to jump anyway. Of course, Luke still jumps a lot of the time! I think Luke is a lot like Emmett….though I was hoping he’d outgrow his penchant for eating everything (he is better now than he used to be though). He is also trying the Wellness food, and so far so good, though we’re still in the switching over transition at this point.

Hope Emmett get comfortable with stairs and ramps soon!
So for the food, I used to feed my dogs Wellness. Their grain-free formula for small breeds isn’t bad at all. Unfortunately, Sam – my 10 year old Yorkie had to watch his weight and I found that it’s harder to shred his extra weight while feeding kibbles. So I gave dehydrate food a try and I was surprised to see his weight came off in a month. Now we stick with dehydrate food.

Thanks for continuing to post pics of Emmett. If you recall, my dog, Cole, was his ‘Brother from another Mother’, both in appearance and loving personality. He was my rock; not a day goes by that I don’t miss that smile and those gorgeous “root beer barrel” eyes. It means the world to me to see Emmett doing so well, even if there are a few bumps in the road. What I wouldn’t give to have spent those senior years with Cole… and Maddie, too. Ten was way too young to lose each of them, especially without any illness to blame.
I keep you and those wonderful boys of yours in my prayers, daily. It is so good to hear how well each of them is doing on their new diets. Their progress, as well as yours and your blog is the highlight of my email. I so enjoy the stories of their daily activities; the story about Emmett and the frogs still makes me laugh.
Wishing you all positive test results, continued good health and many more seasons together.
A special hug for Emmett, bless his heart. He is the perfect example of his breed: a loving, sensitive pit bull.

Your old man seems happy with Wellness, what with his discerning palate! Matilda is young, but since she’s so small I try to keep her from jumping, but she’s fast with it too. I always have to remind her to use the puppy steps by our bed and couch. I’m working on teaching her to wait before getting into the car, but she gets so excited when she finds out she gets to go!